


Fall-ing in Love in Texas

by onionrings_andhoneymustard



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, M/M, Well Hallmark fall movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27321037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onionrings_andhoneymustard/pseuds/onionrings_andhoneymustard
Summary: After a bad breakup, T.K.'s father sends him to the family apple orchard outside of Austin, in the fictional town of Rose River. There, T.K. spends October in a blur of baking and falling in love with the orchard's caretaker.This was inspired by watching way too many fall Hallmark movies. It's a little rushed and a little non-sensical, but so are those movies.
Relationships: Judd Ryder/TK Strand
Kudos: 17





	Fall-ing in Love in Texas

Alex breaks up with T.K. on a Monday. By Thursday, T.K.'s dad is ushering him onto an airplane bound for Texas - _Texas_ of all places - to "get away for a bit." His dad talks around every single one of his protests, assuring him that a week (or two or three) at the family apple orchard is the post-breakup vacation he needs. Finally, T.K. gives in; maybe getting out of New York will be a welcome change of pace.

So, that's why he's in a rental car headed outside of Austin to the small town of Rose River. It's a pleasant drive, wide roads lined with plenty of trees still clinging to the last shades of green. He can feel the tiny knots lining his shoulders loosening ever so slightly the closer he gets to the orchard. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe this is exactly what he needs right now. 

His GPS ultimately takes him to a dirt road, and he slows down to avoid kicking up dust. Just when he thinks he might somehow be lost, he rounds a bend, and the house comes into view. It's a cream-colored, two-story Craftsman, with a covered porch and grey accents.

He finds a key hidden beneath a ceramic frog next to the door - just like his dad had said there would be - and he lets himself inside. Taking a deep breath, he looks around the front room. It's all wooden floors and white paint and an overstuffed sofa with too many throw pillows. He exhales with a sigh, letting himself truly relax for the first time in days as he feels a vague sense of peace at being here, out in the country.

\------

Friday dawns bright and sunny. The air is just crisp enough to warrant wearing one of his many hoodies, and T.K. chooses a well-loved, marigold-yellow one before stepping outside. Sitting in a wooden chair on the back porch, he tucks his feet up on the seat and sips cinnamon tea. Listening to birds chirping somewhere in the distance, he tries to come up with a plan for the day that stretches long and empty ahead of him. 

Maybe he'll go apple picking. After all, there are dozens of trees at his disposal; why not take advantage of them? 

\---

T.K.'s up on a wooden step ladder later that morning, tugging at apples and plopping them into a basket when a voice from behind him says, "You're doing that all wrong." He startles so hard he nearly falls backward off the ladder. A firm hand on the small of the back stops him, and the same voice says, "Easy now. Steady."

T.K. shifts his weight, pressing his fingertips against the top of the ladder. "I'm good."

"You sure?" The voice asks, the hand moving away before he has the chance to answer. 

"Yeah." T.K. turns carefully so he can put a face to the voice, offering up, "I'm T.K. This is my grandparents' place. I'm here for…" he shrugs, "a while."

"Judson Ryder." The other man gives a slight nod. "I know your grandparents; they hired me on after their parents passed. I'm the caretaker here. Maintain the property, the orchard, get the apples harvested and all that jazz." He waves a hand vaguely, slipping it back into his pocket. "You can call me Judd."

"Judd," T.K. repeats, eyes flickering over his face. He looks older than T.K. and a little rougher around the edges, face impassive and exuding an inner-calm T.K. finds himself envying. Judd simply nods. His eyes are vaguely green, and there's a couple-days stubble along his jaw, and T.K. finds himself wondering what would happen if he just leaned in to kiss him. Instead, T.K. looks away and back at the tree. "You said I was picking apples wrong?"

"Yeah." Judd steps up on the first rung of the stepladder, reaching past T.K. to an apple that's mostly red and speckled with green. "You don't pull an apple straight down, or you can damage the branches. What you want to do is lift it up slightly … and turn it to twist the stem and … remove it from the tree." He holds the freshly-picked apple in front of T.K.s face. "Just like that."

"Oh," T.K. nods. "I had no idea."

"Most people who don't pick apples regularly don't." Judd sets the apple gently in the basket, stepping down off the ladder. "What do you plan to do with these, now that you've picked them?"

T.K. looks down at the handful of apples in the basket and lets out a soft laugh. "I … have no idea. Any suggestions?"

"Pick a dozen more and you can make a nice pie."

"Ah, yes… Pie. I've definitely made that before,"

A smile tugs at the corners of Judd's mouth. "You want me to help you?"

Without hesitation, T.K. says, "Yes, please. That would be great."

"Okay. I'll be by after lunch." Judd steps back, gesturing to the tree. "Pick the apples, and I'll bring everything else." He spins on his heel, walking away before T.K. can think of anything else to say.

\---

Judd's there in the early afternoon as promised, making his way to the kitchen and unpacking every single ingredient they'll need from reusable grocery bags, setting them on the counter.

"Have you done this before?" T.K. jokes.

Judd's tone is sincere when he says, "Many times. Let's get started."

So, they do.

\-----

It's almost cheesy, T.K. reflects - as the days pass by in a series of cold, blue skies and apple-laden baked goods - how they fall into each other. Judd gives him small smiles and gentle teasing, and T.K. returns them with moony-eyed looks and soft honesty.

He learns more about apples and Texas and football than he could've ever expected. And he talks about his dreams and New York and baseball more than he ever has.

There's an easy closeness that develops between them. It should scare him; it doesn't. (There's a tense moment, once, when T.K. admits how he almost-relapsed after his break-up. But Judd just scratches the back of his head and shrugs with a, "For what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't break your sobriety." and T.K. exhales for what feels like the first time in two weeks.)

They kiss on the last day of the month. The moon hangs full and heavy in the sky, and Judd whispers things in T.K.'s ear that makes his knees weak. He curls his fingers into the soft fabric of Judd’s shirt as he nuzzles into his neck, and presses kisses there like promises.

The sky is dark when T.K. talks about staying indefinitely, and the sun is just starting to rise when Judd makes it impossible for him to think about being anywhere else.


End file.
